Heros: The Beginning
by NightmareKisses
Summary: Every hero has a beginning, and the beginning of the end of a normal life for three teenagers is just starting. Fate has brought them together, but will Fate also tear them apart? Inspired by Heros, but in no way related to the actual show.
1. One: The Dream

"I've been having this dream Ino…" Sakura begin, her green eyes staring at nothing in particular.

Her footsteps slowed, until both girls came to a complete stop in the middle of the alley. Above, rain pelted down on the pinkette's black umbrella. They could hear the cars honking and driving past on the busy New York road just a couple feet ahead.

The blond girl next to Sakura huffed, putting her hands on his hips. She shook her head, her ponytail swaying behind her, the strands of golden hair going down to her tiny waist.

"Are you on _acid_, Sakura?" Ino asked disbelievingly, raising a perfect eyebrow at her best friend.

Sakura gave a small laugh before answering. "I wish. If I was on acid, then I'd at least be normal. But, no. This dream.. It's real, Ino. And frankly? It's scaring the shit out of me. I've been having it continuously for the past month now. Every night. It never skips a beat."

Ino titled her head, a puzzled look on her face. "What's it about?"

"It's…" Sakura begin, biting down on her lower lip. She didn't know if telling Ino was the right thing, but what Sakura needed was someone to tell this to. The dream had been tormenting her for some time now. "It feels so real…"

"Tell me, already!" Ino demanded, stomping her foot angrily.

"Alright, alright…" Sakura sighed, trying to edit the dream a little bit in her mind, so that Ino could follow along. The dream itself was rather confusing, but Sakura had managed to pull out the main plot after a month.

"At first, when I fall asleep, I'm the first thing I see. I'm crying, and there's blood dripping down my forehead, but there's no injury. In fact, I'm covered in blood, and yet there's no scratch on me. But, anyway…

"I'm looking straight ahead, there's about five cars all smashed together, and it looks like we're in a desert someplace. A deserted road, but there's five cars, and they're all on fire. A boy with blond hair is on top of one of the cars, his arm is burnt from the fire, but he doesn't seem to care. He's digging his way in the cars.

"Suddenly, I look down, away from the blond boy to see white fur underneath one of the cars. The fur is sort of stained by blood, and I feel sick and worried, and utterly useless. I can't help, so I'm stuck at the sidelines watching. I cry more.

"A handsome boy with red eyes runs up to me, he's coughing into his sleeve from the smoke. There's a deep scratch on his arm, so I touch it gently, and when I remove my hand, it's gone. The blood is all that is left of the injury. He comes close to my ear, and whispers, 'He's going to live; Stop crying.' and then I wake up."

Sakura's eyes lingered at the concrete before trailing up to her best friend's face, which was portraying a face of horror and shock.

"Wow, Sakura…" Ino rubbed the back of her neck, not sure of what to say. "That is really morbid. Do you want the number to my therapist or something?"

Sakura just shook her head, grabbing her best friends wrist and dragged her to the busy sidewalk.

"I just wanted someone to listen," Skaura stated, feeling relieved that the burden on her shoulders was removed, all because she had finally told someone of the horror she witnessed every night.

"You know what they say about continuous dreams, Sakura.." Ino whispered to her best friend, their hands entangled so that the crowds of people wouldn't separate them.

"They always come true, right?" Sakura laughed nervously.

Ino just looked at Sakura with worried eyes, forcing Sakura to tear her gaze away in order not to break down right there in the middle of the Manhattan.

* * *

**And ta-dah! The first, short chapter of my new story! Its inspired by Heros. (:**

**The first four chapters will be about this short, it's basically introducing the main characters. Then hopefully I can start drawing together the plot so on and so forth. I think it's important to get the character development started early on in the story. As they say, the story is only has good as the characters.**


	2. Two: Uchiha Sasuke

Blood dripped from the raven-haired boy's eyes, landing on the picture he was holding in his hand. The Uchiha looked up, seeing the red irises of his eyes, and the unique black pattern in the center of them. When he blinked, it was gone.

His cold black eyes stared back at him through the mirror, blood still running down his left cheek. He had overused his ability again.

"Sasuke!" A loud banging at the door caused Sasuke to dropped the blood-stained picture, and Sasuke didn't make a move to try and pick it up. Instead, he stood up and walked over to his door, opening it a little to get a good look at the old lady standing outside.

"Sasuke, you're a week behind on rent," She stated angrily, holding her hand out.

Sasuke made a small noise that sounded like '_hn_' and shut the door on her. He knew she hated that, but he didn't want her to get a look at his other eye, the one that was crying blood from his power-abuse.

Sasuke pulled out an envelope from the desk, and then made his way back to the door. Instead of having to deal with her again, he just casually slide it underneath the door frame, and waited for some sort of response that she got it.

It took about a minute - he imagined she was counting the money to make sure all three hundred dollars where there - but he eventually heard her sigh loudly.

"Alright, Sasuke." She called more gently through the door, and he heard her loud footsteps and she retreated down the squeaky steps back to her apartment.

Sasuke walked back, picking up the picture he had dropped on the floor. The picture was old, and half of it had been burned off, but the other half contained a young man with a stunning resemblance to Sasuke. The man was smiling, and he had his arm around someone, but that part of the picture was the part that had been set on fire.

"Itachi.." Sasuke said, his whole expression turning into a look of pure hatred. Sasuke dropped the picture into the a box, and slammed the top shut on it.

Sasuke's hand went up to rub his head as he felt a migraine coming on. He sighed, retreating back to his dark room for some much needed sleep.

* * *

He woke up a couple hours later, confused and ill-feeling. His headache was throbbing, and Sasuke was convinced he was going to throw up right then and there. He took a couple of steady breathes before turning to look at the big red numbers on his clock.

He had slept until midnight; more than eight hours from when the landlady came to get his over-due rent. He sighed, putting a hand to his forehead, which was sticky with sweat.

He had gotten trapped in his own mind again, thanks to the ability he possessed through his eyes. It would explain why his alarm clock didn't wake him up, not that he needed proof. The 'other' place was familiar to him. When his sharigan brought him there, he knew it right away. Blood red skies, white land. The black crows which symbolized his brother... they seemed to be everywhere in that place. Maybe it was because that place was the only lead on his brother that he had. Without it, it would be like his brother never existed.

Sasuke forced himself out of bed, finding his way to the medical cabinet to take an aspirin for the headache.

"You can hide all you want Itachi, but I'm going to find you.." Sasuke whispered, watching his sharigan activate in the mirror. "I'll master this power and take you down for what you've done, even if it is the last thing I do."

The throbbing of his headache returned, causing Sasuke to break focus and lose his sharigan. When he looked back up into the mirror, his onyx eyes stared back at him.

A small tear of blood streamed down his cheek, straining the white of the sink.

* * *

He returned back to sleep, not waking up until four in the morning, when his body couldn't sleep any longer. He must have gotten too much sleep, because he was exhausted even though all he had done was sleep for twelve hours.

He tugged on a pair of jeans from the floor, rummaged through his closet, finally finding a decent hoodie that wasn't covered in dirt or blood or the like. His shoes were muddy, but there was nothing he could do about that now, so it sucked it up and slipped them on.

The Ohio air was cold this early in the morning, and the decent sized town he lived in seemed abandoned. As he walked down main street, only about ten cars had passed. In another hour, he knew main street would be more preoccupied. He didn't feel like being there for all that noise. He made his way towards a house that was always opened for him whenever he needed a place to run away to. His closest acquaintance, Suigetsu, lived there.

Now, according to Suigetsu, they were best friends forever. Sasuke, however, was not entirely convinced that he liked Suigetsu. The boy, though only one year younger than Sasuke himself, was exceedingly immature and annoying. But, Sasuke was content with him, and he did respect Suigetsu in a way. The red headed girl he lived with was another story. He was reminded how much he disliked the red head when he entered the house.

"Sasuke, my darling!" Karin squealed, jumping off the couch. She was still in her tank-top and shorts that she slept in, and Sasuke wondered why she was up so early in the first place.

"Karin.." Sasuke nodded. " Why are you up?"

"Work. In one hour. Those shelves aren't gonna stock themselves, ya' know," She replied, heading for the stairs. "I better get ready. I doubt Suigetsu is awake yet, and there's no way in hell I'm waking him up."

"Understood," Sasuke said, sitting down on the couch. He hadn't of come here for the people. He had just wanted to get away from the apartment, and from the pictures, and all the memories that haunted him.

Sasuke leaned back, pretending to watch TV as he let his mind travel elsewhere.


	3. Three: Uzumaki Naruto

"Naruto, you better get to school!" Jiraiya yelled from his desk, he was focused on his work, but he noticed that Naruto was already two minutes late for school. He sighed, he wasn't really good at this whole 'parent' thing, but Naruto had lived with him since his parents died when he was five. You'd imagine he would have gotten use to the life of a parent by now.

Naruto came down stairs, all dressed up in his school uniform, a backpack hanging off his shoulder.

"Sorry, I guess I lost track of him!" Naruto yelled, rushing out the door of their small house.

Jiraiya watched the kid go, sighing to himself as he turned back to his writings. However, his eyes trailed up to the picture of him and Naruto's parents when they were teenagers. He had been best friends with Minato, Naruto's father, and so he become Naruto's godfather.

He never expected them to die.

Then again, no one expects anyone to die. It just.. happens. And when it does, sometimes people are left with responsibilities.

"Like an over-enthusiastic teenaged boy," Jiraiya snorted.

* * *

Naruto jumped on the bus, shoving some money into the box before making his way to the very back seat. He pressed his forehead against the window, watching the buildings come and go from his sight.

"Nothing like living in Pennsylvania to cheer you up, right?"

The sarcastic remark made Naruto turn his head to see a familiar boy.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto called out in surprise, a giant smile appearing on his face. "I didn't see you at all!"

"Will you hush?" Shikamaru called back, rubbing his forehead. "Your yelling gives me headaches.."

"Oi, sorry Shikamaru," Naruto replied, more softly this time. The smile was still on the blond's face, though. "What'cha doing?"

"Being late to school, like you. My mom is literally going to kill me," Shikamaru mumbled, shaking his head. "Chouji had to stop at get a snack first, though." Shikamaru pointed his thumb to direct Naruto at Chouji, who just waved.

"Huh." Naruto shook his head. "Didn't see you guys at all."

"Well," Shikamaru began, standing up. "I don't have the time to explain the whole story on how we made it on this damn bus, Naruto. This is our stop. Time for school. How troublesome…"

The three boys exited the bus, and Naruto waved and smiled at the bus driver, who gave him a glare in return. Naruto didn't notice it, though. They ran down the long sidewalk and past the fountain to the main doors.

"See you, Naruto!" Chouji yelled as him and Shikamaru darted down the hallway. Naruto went the opposite way, entering his history class.

"You're late," Kakashi Hatake said when Naruto entered the classroom.

"And _you're_ always late, Kakashi. So… Free pass?" Naruto suggested, giving Kakashi a thumbs up.

Kakashi sighed. "To your seat, Naruto. I was just about to begin my lesson."

"Alright." Naruto sat down in his chair, but his mind wasn't focused on the lesson. Instead, Naruto stared out the window.

"N-Naruto?"

Naruto's head snapped back to the front of him, where Hinata Hyuuga was sitting. There was a smile on her pale face, and she was blushing slightly. Naruto had always thought that Hinata was a little weird, but she was sweet, and so Naruto didn't have a problem with her.

"Hey, Hinata!" He said rather loudly, causing the shy girl's blush to get even redder. "You need something?"

"N-n-no, nevermind."

Hinata turned back around in her seat, leaving Naruto a little confused. He shrugged it off, though. That was just Hinata.

* * *

The school day seemed to go by fast, and Naruto figured it was because he day dreamed through all of his classes. Of course, that's what he did all the time and his grades were proof of that. Naruto knew that Jiraiya would be unhappy with his report card, so the blond boy just folded it up and threw it in the trash.

"Party at my place, Naruto," Temari said, shoving a invitation in his hands. "You can't come unless you bring Shikamaru."

"Why don't you just invite him yourself, Temari?" Naruto questioned, a little confused by her offer.

"Don't be an idiot, Shikamaru would never come unless someone forced him to. Someone like _you_. I know you want to come, you're _always_ trying to be friends with everyone. So, deal?" Temari put her hands at her hips, awaiting an answer from the confused boy across from her.

"Uh, yeah sure. If I can bring him, I will."

"Don't come if he won't come!" Temari yelled back at him as she walked the opposite way.

Naruto turned around, hunting through the hallway for a certain genius. Of course, Naruto found him waiting by the vending machine with Chouji.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto called from down the hall, waving his hands at Shikamaru as he rushed over to the vending machine. "Guess what?"

"You're going to get tested for ADHD?" Shikamaru guessed, causing Chouji to cough out a laugh.

"Well, no… But, you two are coming with me to Temari's party tonight!" Naruto said, a huge crooked smile on his face.

"And why would we do that?" Chouji intervened, pulling out the BBQ chips from the vending machine. Shikamaru nodded in agreement to Chouji's question.

"Because… It's a party, Chouji. That means free food."

"I'm in," Chouji said immediately.

"I'm not. No way in hell am I go to that violent woman's party," Shikamaru stated, walking towards the front entrance.

"Oi, Chouji," Naruto started, leaning over to whisper into Chouji's ear. "Temari said if Shikamaru doesn't go, then we can't go. That means no free food. And you know Temari is rich and has all those personal chef people, right?" Naruto nudged Chouji with his elbow.

"Pick us up at 8, we'll both be there, even if I have to kill Shikamaru and bring his dead body instead," Chouji replied, running to catch up with his friend.

"Yes!" Naruto yelled, throwing his hands up. "It's party time!"

* * *

Naruto and Chouji were leaning against Naruto's truck, both of them having a beer in their hands, and then Chouji having a bunch of food in the back of the truck. Naruto fiddled around with his drink, trying to ignore the awkwardness of the two of them randomly being here. It was obvious they didn't belong. Popular kids were stripping their clothes and jumping into the lake, others were chilling by the bonfire.

Naruto looked up when he saw Shikamaru heading his way, a look of boredom on the kid's face, like usual.

"Enjoying the party, Shika?" Naruto asked with slight enthusiasm. It was obvious him and Temari had a thing for each other. Temari was just a little more obvious than Shikamaru, who thought all woman were troublesome.

"I suppose…" Shikamaru answered, but then quickly changed the subject. "Hinata was looking for you. She had something to ask you, but she went into the forest with some creepers. Maybe you should go find her."

"Huh? Why would Hinata be looking for me?" Naruto pointed at himself, a look of astonishment on his face.

"Who knows? But it's not polite to leave a woman waiting," Shikamaru said, waving Naruto off.

Naruto sighed, he supposed that he would go looking for Hinata. It wasn't like he was doing anything else productive. Naruto headed into the forest where Shikamaru said she'd gone, but it was so dark that Naruto honestly had no clue where he was going. He stumbled around for a few minutes, before realizing that Hinata was no where to be found.

He was starting to head back when he heard her scream. Naruto froze, his eyes darting around.

"Hinata…?" Naruto whispered softly into the darkness.

Another scream.

This time, Naruto was able to pin point where it was coming from and he sprinted in that direction. He dodged the trees and the rocks, trying to run as fast as he could. When he got a little closer, he could hear her shouts and cries.

Naruto finally stumbled into a small field, and his eyes grew wide.

"Oh, Naruto? Want in on the fun?" Saiko asked, his arm holding Hinata against the tree. "We were just going to give Hyuuga here the fun of her life." Saiko and his two minions laughed, roughly shoving Hinata to the ground.

"How dare you.." Naruto whispered, his eyes not moving from Hinata, who was sobbing on the ground.

"What did you say, Uzimaki?" Saiko said with a threatening voice as him and his minions corned in on Naruto.

"How dare you touch Hinata!" Naruto screamed, his fist coming in contact with Saiko's face. Saiko went flying into the tree across the field, but Naruto was too angry to notice. He turned on Saiko's minions, who were lunging at him.

Naruto slammed the first one into the ground, and then shoved his knee into the second one's gut. Just like Saiko, his friend went flying. Naruto ran to Hinata, who was staring at him in amazement.

"Naruto… I didn't know you were so strong," Hinata said, her mouth agape. "I've only ever seen someone punch so hard that they sent the other person literally flying in movies…"

Naruto's brow furrowed as he tried to understand what she was talking about, but it all became clear when he looked up. Saiko was laying against a tree, on the other side of the field, and the field was at least a football field long.

"Whoa…" Was all that came out of Naruto's mouth.

* * *

**Please review if you see something that I can do to help make the story better. Or if you just want to leave your opinion. Thank you. (:**


	4. Four: Haruno Sakura

"It's so depressing in the Upper East Side, today," Ino pouted, looking out her window from her room, gazing upon the small specs of snow landing against the pavement. She retreated back over to her Queen sized bed, plopping down on it with a miserable expression on her face. "My boots got wet, they're probably ruined now. Three hundred dollar, down the drain. Ugh!"

Sakura came out of Ino's walk-in closet, a silvery dress in her hands. "What about this? It's fairly new," Sakura suggested, holding up the dress for Ino to see. Of course, Sakura knew her fashionista best friend well enough to know that 'fairly new' wasn't going to fly.

"Sakura!" Ino exclaimed, throwing up her hands in frustration. "It's almost Christmas! I need something expensive and fabulous. Nothing in my closet is going to be good enough, I guess I'll just have to go shopping."

"You just want an excuse to go shopping," Sakura accused, rolling her green eyes.

"Maybe."

"You can't fool me, Ino." Sakura walked back into the closet, hanging up the dress back in its rightful place.

She walked out and closed the doors behind her, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at her pouty best friend. Ino just shook her head at Sakura, choosing not to explain why it was so important that she got a new dress. Sakura didn't bother asking, she knew the response would probably be unreasonable to anybody but Ino herself. She didn't have time anyone, when Sakura glanced at the pink clock in Ino's room, she realized that she was late for dinner.

"I better go, my mom wants me to be home for 'family dinner'," Sakura mocked, a small smile spreading across her face.

"Ha," Ino huffed, waving her friend off. "You have to actually act like a family to be a family."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Sakura asked curiously, turning around to face the blonde, who was know stumbling for a reply.

"I-I'm just saying!" Ino defended. "Your mother hasn't been very nice to you since your father, you know."

"I guess… But, we're still a family, and you should really be more considerate when choosing your words." And with that, Sakura left her flustered friend alone in her room, and saw herself out of the Yamanaka Manor.

* * *

The dark seemed to spread fast, and Sakura hadn't of realized that she had stayed at Ino's place so late. She was absolutely sure that her mother was going to kill her. That is, if some homeless man didn't wonder over and kill her first.

"Ow!" Sakura's hand immediately flew to her head as she felt a sudden sharp pain in her head. The pain was so sharp and unbearable, that Sakura was down on her knees in the middle of the dark alleyway.

_"Sakura..."_

Sakura looked up, her eyes wide as she search the alley for the voice, but the alley was empty and silent. The voice rang in her ears again, causing her to stand up quickly. The next thing Sakura knew, she was laying on the ground, looking up at the sky as blackness consumed her vision.

_"Sakura… That's a really pretty name! I'm Naruto!" Naruto yelled cheerfully, bringing in the small girl into his big arms for a friendly hug. Sakura was frozen in shock for a second, but a smile started to appear on her face, and she patting the boy on the back._

_ "I know who you are," Sakura said shyly, smiling up at him. She turned towards the white-haired man beside Naruto. "And i know who you are, too, Mr. Kakashi."_

Sakura sat right up with a gasp, as the blackness faded away and reality seemed to welcome her back. She was freezing, and her clothes were getting wet from the damp alley. Sakura took a couple of deep breathes, trying to recover from whatever the hell just happened, but panic seemed to overwhelm her.

"What is going on?" She yelled into the darkness, stumbling to her feet and running towards the street.

She stepped into the road, waving her hands around until a cub pulled up next to her, and she quickly got inside.

"Where to?" The cab driver asked, taking a drag of his cigarette.

* * *

"You're late!" Sakura's mom exclaimed whenever a freezing cold Sakura entered her house. "Congratulations, you just ruined family night."

"I'm sorry, mom. I lost track of time."

Sakura lowered her head to look down at the tiled floor, she didn't want to deal with her mom's crazy outbursts at the moment. Sakura just wanted to go to sleep and forget about whatever happened in that alleyway ten minutes ago.

"Ugh, whatever." Her mother marched back into the kitchen, and Sakura could hear her yell at demands to their kitchen staff.

She ignored the commotion going on in the kitchen, and ran up their marble stairs to the double doors of her room. She locked it, pressing her head to the door in an attempted to gather her thoughts.

"_What's wrong with me?"_

_ "Nothing, you're just not in control yet. It causes you to black out. Soon enough, however…" Kakashi put a strip of paper in his book to hold his place, and then slammed it close. "You'll get the hang of it, Sakura. Don't worry."_

Sakura's head snapped up once the dream or memory had faded, and Sakura placed a hand over her mouth in horror.

"What the hell is going on?" She whispered, letting herself move over to her bed to sit. "What's happening to me?"

* * *

**The end of the Introduction Arc!**

**Now, all of the characters will be in the chapters, instead of just one. So, the chapters should get fairly long. Hopefully. **


	5. Five: Christmas Break

"Oi, Naruto," Shikamaru yelled, waving his hand up in the air at the troublesome blonde. Shikamaru was highly irritated, but Hinata had asked him so kindly to retrieve Naruto for her, that it was almost impossible for him to say no. Even though he was Shikamaru, and he normally refused to listen to anyone. Hinata's kindness seemed to have a power over, well, everyone. It was impossible to say no to such a sweet girl. And that's how he had gotten himself into this mess, running back and forth between the building of the High School, all to find one obnoxious blonde.

When he finally found Naruto, the blonde boy seemed to be busy weight lifting. Shikamaru frowned. "I've called you like 10 times, haven't you ever heard of checking your cell phone?"

"Eh, sorry Shikamaru," Naruto replied, surprising Shikamaru with a tint of sadness in his voice. "I guess I got.. Distracted."

"You? Distracted? Never heard of that before," Shikamaru retorted sarcastically. He shook his head and sighed. "Hinata is looking for you. Don't ask why, she wouldn't tell me. Said it was 'personal'. Did you sleep with her?"

At that comment, Naruto seemed to snap out of his dazed face and return to his normal facade. "What? Of course not! How could you even say that - I mean, it's not like I _wouldn't_ want to sleep with her, it's just... She's so sweet! But I didn't -"

"Okay, okay!" Shikamaru interrupted, waving his hands above his head in surrender. "I understand. Just shut up and go to her already."

Naruto gave an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "Will do... Thanks, erm, Shikamaru."

"Just call me back next time," Shikamaru replied, giving another sigh of annoyance.

* * *

Sakura panted, leaning over to rest her hands on her knees. She had been making a habit of running along the school's track field every morning before school, but her body was still not use to running a mile without stopping for a breather. Not to mention, the frigid cold air was seeping through her lightweight clothes, chilling the poor girl to the bone. She shivered, and then after taking a couple deep breathes, jogged her way up to the girls' locker room to shower and get ready for the long day ahead. As she expected, she was the only girl in the locker room this early in the morning, so she'd luckily have the showers to herself. There was nothing more awkward than having to shower in front of her whole track team.

The warm water heated up her nearly frozen body, and she had never been more thankful for a shower in her life. She could literally feel the water sliding down her petite frame, carrying away not only the cold, but also the stress these last weeks had brought her. Dealing with the sudden discovery of her hidden ability - which after a night in the library she realized where premonitions - had stressed the pinkette out tremendously. Enough so where the only thing she could think about where the strange people in her visions.

One stuck out in particular - a handsome raven-haired boy who'd she come to known as 'Sasuke'. Her premonitions never revealed his last name, otherwise she would have googled him. As for the other two boys... Google had about a million results for them, and she didn't feel like filtering through it.

Sakura peeked her head out of the shower curtain when she heard the door slam. Her green eyes scanned the room, but she didn't see anyone. Just in case, she turned off the water and wrapped her pink towel around her small frame. When she stepped out, she saw who had entered the room.

"There you are!" Ino gave a dramatic sigh, anger scrawled on her face. "Do you realize that you missed twenty minutes of first hour? They were about ready to call your mom, but you're lucky I know you and what you do in the mornings."

"I'll ignore that kind of stalkerish part at the end, and just say... Oh! My! Gosh! Have I really been showing for twenty minutes?" Sakura replied, smacking her hand hard against her forehead, the noise dimly echoing in the concrete room.

"Yeah, kind of," Ino said impatiently. "Get dress and _let's go_! This is the last day of school before Christmas break, so hurry it up so we can get the day over with already."

"I'm coming, jeez!" Sakura yelled grabbing her bag and running towards an empty stall to get changed.

* * *

As soon as Sasuke's eyes had closed, it was about 5 hours later when Juugo woke Sasuke up. When he opened his eyes, he was stunned that he actually fell asleep after all the sleep he had gotten in the past 24 hours. He was convinced that he slept more than half of yesterday away.

"It's 7:30," Juugo stated, pointing to the clock. "Suigetsu still sleeps."

Sasuke watched the ridiculously tall guy - Hell, Sasuke thought he was ridiculously tall at six foot two inches, but Juugo had him beat hard at six foot five inches - make his way to the small kitchen. A minute later he heard a sizzling pan and the smell of pancakes, which made Sasuke's stomach growl. He had spent all his time sleeping and being bitter, that he had completely forgotten to eat. Which seemed to be becoming reoccurring thing lately.

"Juugo, make me some," Sasuke said, not necessarily in a shout, but loudly enough for Juugo to hear him.

"Sure!" Juugo yelled back from the kitchen, and Sasuke turned his head back towards the blank TV.

Knowing Suigetsu, he wouldn't be up for another three or four hours, and Karin didn't get off work until about noon. So, Sasuke figured it would just be him and Juugo for a while. Sasuke didn't mind that. In fact, out of the three of the housemates, he found Juugo to be the most sufferable one. The twenty-two year old never tried to get into Sasuke's personal business, unlike his two annoying roommates.

Sasuke stomach growled again as Juugo came in with two plates of giant pancakes. Juugo returned to the kitchen for a second to bring back syrup and two glasses of water. Sasuke nodded his thanks, taking a sip of water. That sip turned into what seemed like a desperate gulp as he realized how dehydrated he was. Juugo didn't seem to notice.

"Suigetsu should be at school... But, I think he's taking the High School drop-out route like you and Karin did," Juugo said, trying to make simple conversation.

Sasuke replied between bites. "High School is for people who trick themselves into thinking that life holds some kind of value for them if they waste all their money on college."

"Hmm." Juugo seemed to think on that, staying quiet during the rest of breakfast. He took their dishes into the kitchen and stayed in their for a while; Sasuke figured he was doing the dishes since he heard the water running.

He returned to his place on the couch, not bothering with the TV. Nothing could keep him interested anymore.

* * *

"Hinata," Naruto greeted as he came into step by her.

"Naruto..." She said softly, making his heart literally melt with her smile.

Neither one of them acknowledged the cold as they walked in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Every once in a while Hinata would smile up at him, and when he smiled back, a small blush would appear on her face and she'd shyly look down. Naruto had found it adorable, and could never stop the smirk from appearing on his face.

After a couple minutes, Hinata finally spoke up.

"I just wanted you to know that your secret..." Hinata hesitated, fiddling with her thumbs. "Well, I'd never tell anyone, Naruto. I promise. You saved my innocence... It's the least I could do."

"Hinata..." Naruto starred down at her in stunned silence. A small, sad smile appeared. "Thanks, Hinata. Really, just thanks."

Her fingers intertwined with his. "Anything for you, Naruto."

* * *

"And finally!" Ino yelled, her hands slamming down on her desk. "I repeat... Leather was so 90s!"

"Wow," Sakura replied, shaking her head as she bit down on a carrot stick. "It took you about thirty minutes to express your disapproval of Tenten's outfit. I actually think she pulls it off."

"Yeah, she should pull it off and throw it into the nearest trash bag!" Ino taunted, and laughed along with two other girls who were sitting next to her. Sakura, however, refused to laugh at someone because of their clothing choice. Especially Tenten, who had always shown her kindness.

"Maybe we should teach that bitch a lesson," Miki suggested, an evil smirk on her round face. Anna nodded, and Ino got that look - the look of complete interest, one that Sakura had known to be something of complete 'evil'.

She had to admit, Ino's quest for High School domination was getting old. Her once nice, caring best friend had turned into something of a dictator, and Sakura didn't like it - _at all. _Sakura's fear that they would go overboard was the only thing that convinced her to follow the girls to wear Tenten sat outside. It was common for the outcasts to sit outside, even in the bitter coldness of winter.

"Hey, bitch, nice leather. How many pigs did you skin to make that?" Anna said, laughing at her own joke, in which no one else laughed along.

"Anna, shut the fuck up," Ino said sternly. "Leather is made from _cows_, you dumbass."

"You all sound pretty dumb," Sakura interjected, but her comment was ignored by everyone but Tenten, who gave her a smile.

"Who said you could smile?" Ino asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, Ino dear, but I don't take orders from anyone," Tenten shot back, her glare as strong as Ino's.

"Don't look at her that way!" Miki shouted, giving Tenten a rough push.

That was probably the wrong thing, since Tenten was known for not taking shit from anyone. Tenten grabbed Miki's arm, yanking her out of her way. Miki tried maintaining her balance, but eneded up falling face first in the snow. Sakura's hand flew to her mouth to cover a laugh.

"Did you just throw my friend into the _snow_?" Ino said in disbelief, her mouth forming a thin, angry line. Ino whipped her hand up, her long nails leaving bloody stratches along Tenten's check. Tenten yelped in shock, her hand resting over the place where two fine red scratches were now visible. Ino ignored Tenten's angry glare, moving to help Miki out of the snow.

"Don't ever bother us again, whore," Miki spit, allowing Anna and Ino to lead her back in the school. Sakura didn't follow this time. Instead, she was preoccupied with being utterly shocked at Ino's action.

"Oh, Tenten!" Sakura sighed, moving Tenten's hand to look at the damage. "It's not really that noticable... Well, it won't be when it stops bleeding. I'm sorry, i didn't think she'd do anything to you."

Tenten gave a nervous chuckle. "I think I brought it on myself.. Three against one, not all that smart to start a fight with one and not expect a reaction from another one..."

"It was still inappropriate for her to do that..." Sakura mumbled, her fingers wiping away the blood.

However, something happened that caused Sakura's eyes to widen. As her fingers trailed along the scratches, they started to fade away. Soon enough, it was like nothing ever happened.

"Sakura...? Is it really that ugly?"

"Uh.. No, like I said... Not even visible." And with that, Sakura turned on her heel and ran back inside the school, leaving a confused Tenten staring after her.


	6. Six: Goodbye, New York

"And, finally, it's Christmas Break," Sakura muttered quietly as the loud school bell went off. The teacher didn't even bother trying to tell the kids her famous line, 'the bell doesn't dismiss you, I do.' It wouldn't have worked, all the students were shoving each other out of the room in chaos and excitement. Who wasn't happy about no school for three straight weeks?

Sakura really wasn't.

To her, those three weeks would be hell spent with her mother, or the now irritating visits to Ino's house. Sakura had always been the type to quickly close people out of her life, but now she really felt no need to let anyone into it. She just wanted to be alone with her books…

And try to solve her mysterious premonitions.

Sakura grabbed her back of the floor, swinging it over her shoulder as she made her way out of the now abandoned room. To her surprise, the hallways were nearly empty. She imagined that the school parking lot was a chaotic mess.

Her guess was right – people were fighting their way out of the parking lot, and the sight made Sakura smirk. That smirk disappeared quickly, however, as she saw Ino's car turning the corner.

"Did she… leave me?" Sakura whispered in disbelief. She stared at Ino's car with wide eyes until it finally disappeared. She felt a little tinge of anger forming, but there was nothing that Sakura could do at the moment; other than go back inside and away from the cold.

The library was open until four o'clock, which was the same time her mother got off work. Sakura had already sent her a quick text for her to pick her up on her way, and Sakura hoped that her mother wouldn't disappoint her by not showing up. She honestly didn't want to walk home in the freezing cold. Plus, she was wearing flats, and she didn't want to have to walk home in the four inches of snow in _flats._

The library was empty besides the librarian and a guy with weird white hair and… A face mask? Sakura gave him a confused look, but quickly looked away when he smiled at her. Well, at least she thought he smiled at her. His eyes kind of gave it away.

Then, it hit her, and she pointed a finger at him and yelled out in shock. "Oh my god, you're Kakashi!"

The librarian shot her a glare for yelling, but didn't say anything about it. Kakashi, however, was staring at her with an expression of equal shock to her own. Sakura could see where knowing a complete stranger's name would be a little creepy.

"I-I'm sorry," Sakura stammered and quickly made her way to a table in the far back of the room. A blush spread across her cheeks, and she tried - unsuccessfully - to hide it.

Only a couple minutes had passed when she heard someone sliding into the chair across from her. She looked up from her book to see Kakashi – who was also reading a book, but that's what you do in a library, yes? – Staring at her.

She gulped, closing her book and looking back at him. "I already know you're here to help me. Right?"

Kakashi sighed. "Your premonitions are stronger than normal. Most psychics only have a premonition once a month, if they're lucky."

"Oh? And how would you know how many premonitions I've had?" Sakura snapped, glaring at him with suspicion.

"That's what we do. The organization I'm part of; we have technology that can sense supernatural things."

"And you've come here to what? Kill me off?" Sakura asked, her voice trembling a bit. She felt like she was in a movie or something.

"Of course not!" Kakashi laughed, rubbing the back of his head. He seemed like a harmless man. "We're trying to help people with special powers – like you – to not be killed off. From another organization called the Akatsuki."

"Figures." Sakura sighed, she had always known that if someone found out about her ability, they would send her way to be a government experiment. She wasn't really interested in that.

"What's your organization called, then?"

"It's not mine," Kakashi clarified, though he had no need to. "It's ANBU Black Ops."

"What does ANBU stand for?" Sakura asked curiously.

Kakashi shrugged innocently. "Who knows!"

"Okay…" Sakura gave him a look that stated she thought he was an idiot.

"Like a said before, your psychic ability is most odd. Frequent premonitions. And the fact that you black out so easily…"

"What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing, you're just not in control yet. It causes you to black out. Soon enough, however…" Kakashi put a strip of paper in his book to hold his place, and then slammed it close. "You'll get the hang of it, Sakura. Don't worry."

"I've heard that before," Sakura mumbled.

"Premonition?" Kakashi asked, like it was completely normal to be able to predict the future.

Sakura just nodded. She thought about telling him about her other ability, her healing one. She voted against it, though. She had no idea who this man was, nor did she trust him in the least bit. Just because he claims to want to help her out doesn't mean she was going to start telling him her whole life's story.

"We need to get back to Pennsylvania. There's someone your age with powers like yours… Though, he probably doesn't know it yet."

"You want me to leave New York? What about my mother? And Christmas?" Sakura argued, shaking her head in protest.

"You're eighteen, leave a note. And what do you think is more important? Another Christmas or finding out who you really are?"

"I don't have anything packed."

"We can make a stop."

"This is…" Sakura bit her bottom lip, trying to find the right words. "Illogical, suicidal. But, I want to know how to control this. So, if that means leaving New York… Then so be it."

* * *

"Where the heck did Kakashi go?" Naruto exclaimed, waving a piece of paper in his hand. "I was suppose to give him this signed test…"

Shikamaru snorted. "Stop failing your tests and you wouldn't have to worry about that. And Kakashi took off after first hour. Said he had important business to take care of. Probably went off to go flirt with High School chicks."

All three of them chuckled at that idea.

"Probably went to go spend his Christmas Break in the magical city of New York," Naruto threw in, trying to imagine the laid-back Kakashi in a big city. It caused the boys to give another round of laughter.

"He probably works for some secret organization that fights bad guys… And stuff," Chouji said. Instead of laughter, Chouji just received two bored expressions.

"Don't be an idiot, Chouji," Shikamaru finally said, shaking his head. Chouji just shrugged innocently, returning to his BBQ Chips.

"Yeah, well," Naruto began, giving an exasperated sigh. "I need this turned in otherwise he'll fail me!"

"I'm sure he'll understand," Shikamaru replied with his usual irritated tone. "Just go home and enjoy your Christmas Break."

"Gotta find Hinata first!" Naruto shouted as he ran away, keeping his eyes open for a certain girl.

Giving up on his search two minutes later, Naruto found himself entering Kakashi's room. He figured he'd drop off the test anyway, in hopes that Kakashi would have some pity for him. However, a letter with his name on the top caught his attention. He picked it up.

_Naruto_,

_I would just like to inform you that you'll probably have a house guest when I get back from New York; I'll explain everything to you later. Just make sure to inform Jiraiya. _

_Also, don't bother turning that signed test in. You fail! Happy Holidays._

_Yours truly,_

_Kakashi Hakate._

Naruto stared, dumbfounded at the letter.

"Failed...? House guest? YOURS TRULY?"

* * *

"I hope you know that it's 4:00."

Suigetsu ignored Sasuke, rubbing his eyes and giving a big yawn. He was still in his pajamas, and he was still pretty tired.

"Long night."

"Oh," Sasuke replied. "You missed your last day before Christmas Break."

"We do nothing that day anyway!" Suigetsu shouted, plopping down on the other side of the couch.

"You wouldn't know, I bet you've gone to school like four days this entire month!" Karin yelled, storming into the living room. She had arrived home about two hours ago, but she was still sporting her work uniform.

"Not true, bitch. Back out of my life!" Suigetsu shouted right back, and Sasuke resisted the urge to punch him.

"You're the most annoying thing that has ever showed up at my doorstep!" Karin cried out.

"And the best thing," Suigetsu quickly added in before Juugo appeared from the kitchen. He just frowned.

Karin shook her head, taking her seat next to Sasuke; she was a bit too close for his tastes, but he didn't push her away.

"Sasuke…" Karin purred. "This came in the mail for you."

She handed him a yellow envelope he didn't realize she had been holding. He stood up, pushing his way past the clutter on the floor and into the kitchen.

When he opened the envelope, he was surprised to find a train ticket to Pennsylvania, and a letter written on old-styled paper. The handwriting was surprisingly neat and feminine.

_Sasuke,_

_If you're interested in learning how to control that power, I'd suggest you use that ticket. I'll find you, so don't worry about finding me. I see great potential in you… _

_And I know one thing that's for sure: One day, you'll be stronger than your weak-minded brother._

_Orochimaru._

Sasuke stared at the ticket in his hand; it was one for tonight at 8:10, though he wasn't sure if that gave him enough time to ponder over it. He did know one thing, this 'Orochimaru' spoke of his brother as if he knew him…

And if he knew his brother, than there was no way Sasuke would give up an opportunity to find him.

* * *

**I ran it through spell check, and re-read it a couple times, but I'm not very good at picking out mistakes. So, please tell me if I have any typos. haha.**

**Also, no reviews? D:**

**Is it really that bad? ;-;**


	7. Seven: Hello, Pennsylvania

_My combat boots made people look at me with a funny look, and I felt a tinge of annoyance. I didn't want to be seen, or heard. I just wanted to get to him as soon as I could. I needed too more than anything. I didn't know why, but the feeling was so overpowering that my whole body shook._

_I looked back, seeing Kakashi hovering over our belongings. He didn't understand why I needed to be here, but he did understand that I had to follow through with the premonition. _

_When I looked to my left, I saw the other guy glaring at me with a look of utter hate. He turned on his heel and walked towards the exit, and I was slightly confused on to why he wasn't trying to get there before me._

_It didn't matter, I kept running, and finally I saw him. He was standing there like a statue, unaware of the chaos his arrival had brought to me._

_I stopped in front of him, my breaths coming out hard in pants. He raised an eyebrow at me, but I didn't have the time to answer the question written on his face._

"_Sasuke," I said with relief. "Please, come with me."_

_

* * *

_

Sakura bolted upright in her seat, panting like she had in her dream. It hadn't of felt like a dream – it was too real. When Sakura looked around, she was still on the airplane, with Kakashi seated right next to her. He was looking at her intently, confused as to why she was breathing so hard.

"I'm glad we only have carry-ons." Was the only think Sakura had said, and then she leaned back in her seat and came to terms with the fact that this was the longest flight she had ever been on – And that was really saying something, since it was only 45 minutes long.

Kakashi didn't push the matter, and the two of them continue to sit in utter silence.

Sakura was really regretting this. It had taken them an hour to get to her house, for her to pack and leave a note, and then for them to get a cab. It was another hour for Kakashi to get his stuff and check out of the cheap motel he had stored his bag. Then it was two hours that they had to wait for their plane to get here, since everything in New York ran late and chaotic.

Sakura could only presume that when they landed in ten minutes, it would take another hour to get their bags and make it to the train stop. She sighed, tapping her fingers against her jeans impatiently.

She had changed when she had gotten home – Kakashi said she'd needed clothes that where easy to run in. For 'safety' purposes he had said, though he never clarified what that meant.

She had changed into jeans and hoodie, and then the combat boots she used for running in the winter. The same clothes she had on in her premonition.

* * *

Sasuke hated trains. Especially when it took six hours to get from Cleveland, Ohio to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. To make matters worse, he had been seated next to a young woman who kept eyeing him, a lustful look in her eyes. Sasuke was use to girls fawning over him, but it made him uncomfortable when they kept staring at things they shouldn't be staring it.

It took her three hours to finally speak up. "My name is Alyssa," She said in what she probably thought to be a seductive tone. Sasuke just found it irritating. So he refused to answer. Instead, he stared at the window.

She pouted at her failed attempt, but was not so easily pushed away. "I'm twenty."

"I don't care," Sasuke said through his teeth, the irritation clear in his voice. It seemed to shut her up, though, for she refused to even look at him the rest of the train ride. That was perfectly fine to Sasuke; in fact, he wouldn't have had it any other way.

Three hours later, the train finally came to rest in Pittsburg, and he was so utterly relieved to be able to get away from 'Alyssa.' Her mere presence seemed to annoy him tremendously.

He reached up to grab his bag, only to find that a bright pink bag was in his way. He grabbed it, and was about ready to throw it on the ground when Alyssa took it out of his grasp.

"You're so sweet!" She gushed, giving a little giggle.

"It was blocking my bag. I honestly was going to throw it on the floor," Sasuke replied emotionlessly as he pulled out his bag. He strode past the now annoyed Alyssa and made his way out of the cramped train.

Sasuke sat his bag down, crossing his arms and looking around. Orochimaru said he'd find him, but if he didn't show up in ten minutes, Orochimaru would have to find him somewhere else. He wasn't the patient type, nor did he feel like waiting in a train station for someone he didn't even know.

Sasuke was about ready to leave when a young girl – his age, probably – stopped in front of him. She was breathing rapidly, and Sasuke was debating on asking her whether or not she was okay. She spoke first, however.

"Sasuke," She said, relief visible in her voice. "Please, come with me."

"_You're_ Orochimaru?" Sasuke said, skeptical. "I'd imagined you to be older."

"Who? What, no. I'm Sakura," She quickly explained, and Sasuke felt more confused than ever.

"Then go away," He said simply.

"Excuse me?" Sakura said sternly, placing her hands on her hips. "I came all the way here, ran through this whole station, nearly got tackled by security, and for what! For you tell me to 'go away'. You know what? You can _bite_ me. I'm trying to help you!"

"You're annoying," Sasuke said, glaring at her.

"I feel the same way about –"

Sakura didn't have time to finish. She was cut off by a loud, familiar sound, and then the piercing scream of the people in the station. Her eyes wide with shock, she noticed that Sasuke was grunting and holding his arm.

"Oh my god!" Sakura yelled, and then grabbed Sasuke's shirt, yanking him down to the floor with her just in time. The second bullet flew past their heads.

This time, it was Sasuke who grabbed Sakura, pulling her up on her feet. They both ran, and Sakura refused to look back in fear of what she'd see. The two teens darted into a family bathroom, and Sakura locked the door immediately.

"M-maybe we should go out there and help them… And Kakashi is out there, too!" Sakura said panicky as she pressed her back against the door.

"You obviously don't know anything about guns. I'd step away from the door if I were you," Sasuke said, still holding onto his upper arm. Sakura did as he said. "They're after me."

"They're after us," Sakura whispered as her conversation with Kakashi flooded back into her head. "It's the Akatsuki."

"What?"

"Sasuke, do you have any sort of strange ability…?" Sakura took a step towards him, removing his hand from his shoulder to look at the wound. It wasn't bad, the bullet had just torn the side of his arm, but it wasn't inside.

"No," Sasuke answered without hesitation, and Sakura got the feeling he was lying to her.

Her hand rested on his injury, and he watched as she pulled her hand away. He looked up at her in shock. "How'd you do that?"

"Magic," Sakura replied bluntly. "We have to get out of here and find Kakashi. Try not to get almost shot this time."

Sasuke glared at her as she unlocked the door. As soon as she unlocked and cracked it open, she could feel Sasuke practically breathing down her neck, looking and listening. Chaos was still present, but the security was everywhere; it looked like they hadn't of caught the shooter.

Sasuke put his hand on Sakura's back, leading her out of the bathroom. The two of them tip-toed down the hallway, towards the exit just a couple feet away. Sakura surveyed the area quickly.

"There's no way to get out without them getting suspicious," Sakura pointed out, looking up at Sasuke.

He nodded in agreement, and then said, "So what do we do?"

"No need to worry about that," Kakashi said, appearing behind them in an instant. It had caused Sakura to jump, and Sasuke just kept the usual glare on his face.

"What _was_ that?" Sakura asked in a furious whisper.

Kakashi just shrugged. "It seemed as though Orochimaru wanted you dead, Sasuke."

"What a great welcome," Sasuke just muttered, crossing his arms.

* * *

"Its two in the goddamn morning!" Jiraiya yelled when he answered his door to see Kakashi and two teenagers looking at him. One of the teenagers had a murderous look, and the other – the girl – just looked exhausted. Kakashi, however, look utterly thrilled.

"I know," He replied.

With a loud, overdramatic sigh, Jiraiya opened his door so that the three of them could come in.

"You know, I only prepared for one guest. The girl, however, could –"

"Absolutely not," Kakashi interjected, his voice stern. Both of the men looked over to see if Sakura had noticed, but her eyes were closed and she looked like she was sleeping.

Sasuke, however, was glaring at Jiraiya with disgust written all over his face.

"I have another room in the basement," Jiraiya covered quickly, and headed upstairs. "That still makes only two rooms, Kakashi."

"Perfect." Kakashi turned around, striding past the two teenagers without a word. It wasn't until Sasuke said something that he actually acknowledged them.

"Aren't you going to explain?" Sasuke said angrily; he didn't seem at all tired or affected by the recent turn of events. Other than the anger, it was like nothing had happened.

"At two a.m.?" Kakashi countered. "Certainly not! I'll swing back around in the morning." And with that, Kakashi silently closed the front door.

Sakura snapped out of her daydreamy state and reached over to lock the deadbolt. She looked up at Sasuke with an emotionless express. "You lied to me, and I don't appreciate being lied to."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You said you didn't have a strange ability, but I know you do. You reacted so well to mine; you were only a little bit shocked and only for like two seconds!" Sakura argued accusingly.

"Maybe I don't want you in my business?" Sasuke snapped out, the tension in the small hallway increasing with every word.

"It's hard to kept your business away from a psychic," Sakura replied curtly. "Oh, and you can sleep in the basement."

Sasuke watched her practically stomp out of the room. For someone so sweet looking, she sure was a pain in his ass.

* * *

Sakura frowned when she reached the top of the stairs; she honestly had no idea where she was going. She had to admit, though the house was small, it seemed to have a homely feeling to it. All the walls were painted with warm colors, and the décor seemed to just accent the warmness. Sakura loved it.

"Uh.." A voice sounded behind her, and she turned around to see a fairly confused blonde boy in his boxers. He just stared at her.

She felt her face going crimson, and she quickly mumbled out, "Kakashi said I was going to stay here."

"Oh!" A wide, crooked grin appeared on the boy's face. "Naruto! Nice to meet you."

"Sakura… And same." She gave a small smile at the boy, but then stopped as she gave a big yawn.

"Heh, I'll show you to your room," Naruto offered, and then led her down the hall.

He opened the door on the end, only to reveal a baby blue room with white accents. It was very nice.

"Thank you."

"No problem… I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow. Sleep well, Sakura." Naruto smiled at her again, and then walked back down the hall to finish whatever it was he got up for.

Sakura closed the door. She peeled off her clothes, which were way to warm for her in the heat of the house, and replaced them with her Pajama pants and a white tank top. She crawled into the bed, which was surprisingly comfortable, and let herself drift into the darkness of dreamland.

* * *

**Hmm, well I wasn't planning to put this up until next week, but I changed my mind. ^-^**

**Just call it a super duper fast update. :D **

**The next one, of course, probably won't be up for at least another week. I haven't even started it yet, nor do I know where to begin. D;**

**Thanks to everyone who reads this. 3**


	8. Eight: La Trahison

"What?" Was all that came out of Naruto's mouth, which was agape in surprise.

Kakashi laughed nervously, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced towards Sasuke and Sakura to help them, but neither one was paying attention. Instead, Sakura was sitting down on the chair next to the couch, her eyes staring at the front door and her designer boots swinging back and forth. Sasuke was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed and his face unreadable. Like usual.

"That explains… A lot, actually," Naruto said after a moment of thinking. He also looked towards the two teenagers, who finally snapped their attention back at the other three.

Jiraiya just laughed. "I knew you were special, Kakashi just never elaborated why, and he wouldn't let me tell you. If I knew you were strong, I could have used your talents to pick up sexy –"

"That's enough," Kakashi interjected, cutting Jiraiya off harshly. "There's a serious matter going on in this city right now. I have been notified that the Akatsuki are here, and to make matters worse, apparently Orochimaru is here, too. The only thing we know is that Orochimaru may or may not be trying to kill Sasuke."

"Hn." Sasuke leaned away from the wall, turning away from them, his eyes still closed. He didn't want to discuss the matter.

"We need to go to the headquarters of the ANBU Black Ops. Luckily, it's only an hour away."

"Only an hour!" Naruto yelled, disbelief tainting his voice. Sakura nodded furiously in agreement.

"What if something happens during that one hour?" Sakura questioned, jabbing her finger at Kakashi. "It's dangerous, and you shouldn't put us in that kind of a situation! Sasuke got shot the other day!"

"He did?" Naruto screamed again. The blonde jumped up, making a quick sprint to Sasuke. He eyed the other boy, but couldn't see any sign of an injury on him. He proceeded to check under Sasuke's shirt.

"Get off me!" Sasuke hissed, smacking Naruto's hand away from his shirt. "She meant almost got shot."

"Y-yeah," confirmed Sakura, whose face had gone crimson in embarrassment over her mistake. She was thankful –and slightly curious—that Sasuke had chosen to cover for her.

"Well, anyway…" Kakashi began, choosing to ignore the suspicious rising in his mind. "If we leave now, we'll be there in time for lunch, and they have fabulous sushi."

"Ramen?"

"No, Naruto."

* * *

The ride to the Headquarters was none other than complete awkward.

Kakashi decided to drive, and according to him, the driver chose the music. The whole ride up there the teens had to suffer through Metal, and both Sakura and Naruto had accused him of not even liking the genre, but just wanting to torture them. Kakashi denied it every time with a suspicious gleam in his eyes.

Sasuke had the shotgun, which left Sakura to have to listen to Naruto's constant blabber. Mostly which consisted of the many different types of Ramen, and some girl named 'Hinata.' He only shut up when Sasuke turned around with a murderous glare on his face and told Naruto to "Shut the fuck before I shove you out of this damn car."

He earned a giggle from Sakura, but ignored it. So, when the four of them finally reach the Headquarters, Sakura was annoyed, Naruto was pouting, Sasuke was pissed off, and Kakashi seemed abnormally gleeful.

The tension between the three teenagers only seemed to raise Kakashi's mood.

"That was a fantastic ride, the view was spectacular. Wouldn't you agree, Sasuke? Sakura?" Kakashi said, nearly bouncing on his feet.

"Hn."

"No."

"Aren't you ganna ask me?"

"Not at all," Kakashi replied as he led the three into the Headquarters.

There was a lot of card swiping, and some finger print only access rooms, which made Sakura nervous as to what she had just walked into. The walls were all white concrete, and the floors were titled with white. The ceiling was, of course, white. The unusual thing about it, though, were the doors. They were all steel, and they all required some kind of card or code, or fingerprint to open.

Kakashi opened a double-steel door, and when it opened both Naruto and Sakura raised an eyebrow.

The room was fabulous. A chandelier that looked like it belonged in some extravagant ballroom was hanging from the tall ceiling, the floor was carpeted and there was a red oak desk in the center of the room. Behind that desk was a lady with blonde hair and an obnoxiously big chest.

Sakura insecurely glanced down at her own chest, and sighed in defeat. She noticed that Naruto was inappropriately staring, and Sasuke seemed completely unaffected. Then again, Sakura guessed that his face was always emotionless and hard to read. The only emotion she's seen him in was anger. And that was mostly always directed towards Naruto.

"Ah, these must be the three kids you mentioned," The lady said, taking a sip of what Sakura thought to be sake. More eyebrow raising.

"Yes, indeed. Very talented young children, too," Kakashi replied, and then took a step to the side so the three of them were in viewing of the lady.

"I'm Tsunade, president of the ANBU Black Ops. I'm only going to explain this once, so you better keep your ears open. We work to protect special kids like you from not so special kids like the Akatsuki. We offer training, safety, and money under one condition: You have to work for us."

"Work for you?" Naruto asked rather loudly, not even trying to hide is disapproval.

"Yes," Tsunade answered sharply. "Which includes several different fields. While in training, you can either work at discovering the undiscovered, saving the ones who are being targeted by the Akatsuki, and then hunting down the Akatsuki. And then after training you can work as an instructor."

"And you want us to help you… For money?" Sakura repeated, biting her lower lip. She wasn't so sure about that.

"Of course, some people make this their career. The more years you work, the larger your payment will be. If all three of you agree, you'll be trained by Kakashi and Jiraiya, and also work at the three fields I mentioned before."

"I'm in!" Naruto yelled, jumping up in excitement. "This. Is. AWESOME!"

"What happens to the people the Akatsuki target…?" Sakura knew that her question was absurd, and that she already knew the answer, but she couldn't help but ask. She needed confirmation before she agreed to anything that might endanger her.

"They're killed, of course," Tsunade said simply, confirming Sakura's fears.

She sighed. "Lady Tsunade… Is there anyway I can work temporary for now. I have to give this some time. You can't expect me to make a decision so big in such little time. I have school, my friends, my mom…"

"I understand, and I expected it. Therefore, I won't make any of you sign the contract until you're absolutely sure, but I'll still expect you to help us out in return for your training."

"I can agree to that," Sakura said, and then turned her head towards the other two boys.

"I've already agreed!" Naruto shouted at her, grinning from ear to ear. Sasuke just shrugged.

"Then it's settled!" Lady Tsunade yelled, jumping out of her seat and slamming her hands on the desk. "From this point on, the three of you are temporarily employed to the ANBU Black Ops!"

"Exellent," Sakura heard Kakashi whisper, and when she looked over, his eyes seemed to give away the smile hidden under his mask.

The three had decided to eat lunch before they went back to the house. Thanks to Kakashi, the group ended up eating at a Sushi Bar. Unfortunately for Naruto, they didn't serve ramen. The meal was quiet, and Sakura imagined the rest of them were thinking about the same thing she was: Their brand new job.

Sakura analyzed the seriousness of the situation in her mind. They were going after killers, and it was highly dangerous. Sakura knew that one of them could possibly get hurt – or worse, die. However, other peoples' lives were at stake, and knowing that her efforts could potentially save someone, well, it settled things right there.

"Christmas is in five days," Sakura stated, turning to attention towards Kakashi. "I imagine I won't be home for Christmas?"

"We need you here right now, Sakura. We need all three of you here, safely under Jiraiya's care and mine. It's dangerous for you to go home," Kakashi explained, earning a glance from Naruto.

"But, I'm already at home," He replied, confusion clouding his eyes. Sakura heard Sasuke give a frustrated sigh.

"Obviously," He snapped.

Sasuke's outburst seemed to make everyone go silent. And even the car ride home was eerily quiet. Naruto hadn't taken his eyes off the back of Kakashi's seat the whole way, and Sakura hoped that he was feeling all right. She was going to say something, but they had already made it to the house.

* * *

For the two hours they had been back, Sasuke just napped down in the basement, where the other guest room was. At first he was wary of napping, he didn't want his Sharingan to activate and then have everyone wondering why his eyes were bleeding. Eventually, however, exhaustion overcame him.

When he woke up, he felt like he could barely breathe. He needed to get out of the unfamiliar place he was in; he was starting to feel trapped.

As he made his way up the stairs, and he faintly hear voices coming from the living room. His assumption was proven right as he saw Sakura on Naruto playing Scrabble on the coffee table.

"No, Naruto, secks is _not_ a word," He heard Sakura say in an irritated tone.

He was glad they didn't seem to notice him as he left the house, the cold air chilling him to the bone almost instantly. He gritted his teeth and ignored it, not wanting to deal with anyone at the moment.

He found a shopping center about ten blocks away, and hurried himself into a bookstore to escape the cold. He was shivering violently, and he sat down next to the fireplace, letting it defrost him.

"You know, you shouldn't wear such light clothes in winter," A voice said, and Sasuke snapped his eyes up to look at a strange man.

The main screamed creepy, with his yellow eyes and long ratty hair. He was wearing rather light clothes himself, only having on a black jacket and dark jeans. Sasuke figured he was probably fifty years old.

The man sat down, and seemed to almost be studying Sasuke, his yellow eyes trailing up and down his body, resting on Sasuke's own eyes.

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded, and the man laughed.

"Just like your brother, dear Sasuke. So forward."

Suddenly it hit him. "Orochimaru."

Orochimaru clapped. "Very good, Sasuke." The way he said his name almost made him sound similar to a snake. Sasuke shivered.

"The ANBU Black Ops are weak, and they produce weak prey," Orochimaru suddenly said, in a voice that was laced with utter hate.

"And what?" Sasuke asked, leaning back in the brown leather recliner. "Let me guess, you want me to leave them and come to you?"

"Of course not!" Orochimaru hissed – literally. "Don't you see what valuable information I could get if I had someone in the inside?"

"And you think I would agree to this?"

"Not without a little persuading." Orochimaru grinned.

"Not interested."

"I think you're interested. I mean, you have been trying to find your brother for ten years now, have you not? What if I told you I could help you out? What if I said I could give you enough power for you to finally kill your brother?"

Sasuke stared at Orochimaru for the longest time, neither of them breaking the gaze. Orochimaru seemed almost to pleased with himself for Sasuke's liking, but he knew where Itachi was. He had offered power to kill Itachi.

"How can I trust you? Why would you want to help me?" Sasuke questioned.

"Ah, I'm always interested in way to destroy the Akatsuki."

Sasuke went ridged. _So, Itachi's joined with the Akatsuki…? _Sasuke thought bitterly, and then looked up at Orochimaru. "What power could you give me, exactly?"

"Patient, my dear Sasuke. First, I need to know that you can be my double agent. I need to know I can trust you won't betray me."

"I wouldn't betray anyone who could help me finish off my brother," Sasuke replied through gritted teeth.

"I'll give you your power soon, Sasuke. Very, very soon."

* * *

**And, tah-dah, chapter 8 is up. As of now, I have a pretty good idea where the story is going to go, and I'm also 50 - 50 about there being a sequel. I probably won't know about a sequel until we near the end - which we're no where close to. I'd imagine this will be about 28 - 35 chapters long. Give or take a few. **

**The title is also French for 'A Betrayal.' A betrayal sounded too boring, so I decided to turn into French. French isn't boring. (:**

**Reviews make me uber happy, and constructive criticism makes me even happier. So, please leave a review?**

**EDITED: I put the page breaks in, which I forgot to do earlier... Mah bad. ):**


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